The Comic Center of Pasadena

 The Big Bang Theory history

The Comic Center of Pasadena is Stuart Bloom’s comic book store, frequently visited by Sheldon, Leonard, Howard and Raj throughout The Big Bang Theory. The store was one of the group’s regular hangouts and the place where they bought many of their comic books and collectibles.

The store first appeared in Season 2 when Penny followed the guys there to buy a comic book for her nephew. Stuart helped her choose a gift and later asked her out after drawing a portrait of her. Over the years, the Comic Center hosted costume parties, a Valentine’s Day party, a Stan Lee signing and a Mystic Warlords of Ka’a tournament where Sheldon met his nemesis Wil Wheaton. Penny, Amy and Bernadette also visited the store when they tried to better understand the guys’ interest in comic books.

The business often struggled financially, with Stuart sometimes living in the back of the store. In the Season 7 finale, the Comic Center burned down in an accidental fire, leaving Stuart without a business or a place to live. With help from Debbie Wolowitz, Stuart later rebuilt and reopened the store.

Late in the series, the store attracted a rush of new customers after being praised online. Stuart hired Denise as assistant manager to help with the increased foot traffic, and the two eventually began dating.

 Stuart Fails to Save the Universe history

In 101 “Spoiler: Gary Dies”, the Comic Center of Pasadena remains open even in the midst of an apocalypse. With burned-out cars, rabid dogs and mutant hands loose on the streets, the store stands as one of the few familiar places left, its lights still shining despite the risk of attracting giant moths, and an inflatable balloon man waving from the roof.

Although the store no longer receives new comic books after the collapse of civilization, Stuart continues to trade old issues for food. He still welcomes regulars including Bert, who jokingly asks whether anything new has come in, and Kyle and Trevor, whose arguments are much more dangerous in this harsh reality. A dimensional rift in the middle of the store serves as Stuart’s garbage chute. Denise no longer works at the store, with Stuart presuming her dead.

It is in the comic book store that an alternate version of Stuart appears and tells him he can set things right by finding the vari-state quantum interference device created by Sheldon and Leonard at Caltech.

In 102 “Spoiler: Zack’s in This One”, Stuart, Bert and Kripke arrive in a seemingly peaceful version of the comic book store, but the shelves quickly reveal that something is wrong. Kyle and Trevor politely resolve a disagreement over Superman and Lex Luthor: Best Buddies, while Stuart finds titles such as Richie Rich: Effective Altruist and, weirdest of all, an entire wall dedicated to Archie comics, which he insists he does not stock.

When Stuart and Kripke argue over who misconfigured the device, they are shocked by implants in their necks, helping Bert later identify the reality as a “classic totalitarian dystopia with a dollop of mind control surveillance”.

After escaping the AI world, Stuart and Denise land in another version of the store, where magic is real. Kyle and Trevor are once again at odds, this time over magical books including the Necronomicon and Alchemy for Dummies. Their argument escalates into spellcasting, with Kyle conjuring a snake from Trevor’s mouth and later putting an anus on his forehead.

In the magic reality of 103 “Spoiler: Bert is Magic”, the store is called The Wizard’s Sleeve and stocks magical versions of familiar products. Stuart is startled by a spirit escaping when he opens a Book of the Dead with a human face protruding from its cover. He is later amused by one of this reality’s comic books, Dr. Strange Colorectal Surgeon.

The Wizard’s Sleeve becomes the setting for a fight between Bert, a powerful wizard in this reality, and Wil Wheaton, an enforcer for the Wizards Guild of America who was sent to kill Stuart for aiding a demon. Later, a five-story-high demon Bernadette rips the roof off the store and demands the vari-state quantum interference device so she can rule every world. Stuart and Bert activate the machine just in time, sending the group to another reality.

This page has been updated up to episode 103 Spoiler: Bert is Magic